Mission and objectives

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Context

UNICEF Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is working closely with government institutions across all levels to strengthen national systems for the promotion, protection, and monitoring of child rights. A core element of this work is the enhancement of child rights monitoring (CRM) mechanisms that support evidence-based policymaking, programming, and reporting, in line with the country’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and other international and regional human rights frameworks. The country’s commitments as a State Party to the CRC include regular reporting to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which requires well-functioning, participatory, and data-informed child rights monitoring systems. This assignment will support national efforts to build institutional capacities for more systematic planning, implementation, and reporting on children’s rights, while ensuring that children’s voices and needs are adequately reflected in strategies, policies, and monitoring frameworks. The UN Volunteer Specialist will be based in the Child Rights Monitoring and Evaluation (CRME) Unit within UNICEF BiH and will contribute to strengthening child rights monitoring across sectors and governance levels. This includes supporting coordination among key institutions (e.g., the BiH Council for Children and FBiH Council for Children), mainstreaming child rights in sectoral and inter-sectoral strategies, and enhancing the use of data and evidence for tracking progress and informing public discourse on the situation of children in BiH.

Task Description

Under the supervision and guidance of the Child Rights Monitoring and Evaluation (CRME) Specialist, the UN Volunteer will contribute to efforts to improve child rights monitoring, coordination, and institutional engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tasks include: • Support efforts to mainstream child rights in national and subnational development strategies, public policies, action plans, and reforms, in line with CRC recommendations and broader human rights commitments. • Support the CRME Specialist in strengthening institutional mechanisms for child rights, including the BiH and FBiH Councils for Children and relevant ministries, in the planning, coordination, and follow-up of child-focused strategies, such as action plans and frameworks for children's rights. • Assist in advancing reporting processes to international and regional treaty bodies, especially the Committee on the Rights of the Child, by providing technical expertise to support the use and institutionalization of the National Recommendations Tracking Database (NRTD). • Contribute to the support in technical cooperation and coordination among institutions responsible for child rights monitoring and reporting, facilitating exchange of knowledge, data, and practices across entities and levels of government. • Assist in capacity-building and awareness-raising activities on children’s rights, including the development of information materials and training for government institutions, statistical offices, CSOs, and other stakeholders involved in monitoring and reporting. • Contribute to the collection, analysis, and synthesis of data and findings relevant to child rights, supporting their use in policy development, reporting, and advocacy. • Support the development and maintenance of knowledge management systems to ensure that evidence, monitoring findings, and child rights data are systematically collected, stored, and shared, both internally within UNICEF and externally with partners, to inform evidence-based programming, advocacy, and reporting. • Provide assistance in organizing and coordinating consultations, workshops, and working group meetings focused on improving child rights monitoring systems and promoting cross-sectoral collaboration. • Support the development and dissemination of child rights advocacy materials, ensuring they are tailored to relevant audiences and grounded in reliable data and monitoring findings. • Assist in documenting lessons learned, promising practices, and gaps to inform continuous improvement of national child rights monitoring efforts. • Perform other related duties as required to strengthen national capacities for child rights planning, implementation, and monitoring.

Competencies and values

• Accountability • Collaborative Engagement with Stakeholders • Adaptability and flexibility • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management • Empathy and Sensitivity • Accountability in Research Execution

Living conditions and remarks

Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the largest urban center with an estimated population of 370.000. The city is situated along the Miljacka river and surrounded by the Dinaric Alps. The city is famous for its traditional religious diversity, with adherents of Islam, Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Judaism coexisting there for centuries. There are no administrative or other restrictions, apart from visa (exceptions possible), on international staff members’ travelling in/within/from the country. In general, regular medical facilities are available, with two main hospitals and a significant number of small private clinics. General sanitary and hygiene conditions are adequate. Good local banking facilities are available (use of credit cards, ATMs). Communication services (domestic and international) are available on a regular basis. Availability of food, furnishings and other necessities is adequate (various grocery stores and markets with fresh food products, shopping centers, etc). Public transportation is available (tram, bus, trolleybus, taxi). International airport is 20-minute drive from the UN building in Sarajevo. Public water supply, electricity and sewerage system are in place. The UN designated state of alert for Bosnia and Herzegovina is Security Level 1 which is minimal and lowest security level in the Security Level System for the entire country, including the capital of Sarajevo. The situation in BiH is generally quiet; all international agencies consider threats to their staff to be low at this time. However, BiH has the same problems as much of Europe, from pickpockets to traffic accidents, so all staff must exercise appropriate personal security awareness and common sense. Bosnia and Herzegovina is still the country with the largest mine contamination problem. Staff are advised not to deviate from well-travelled routes while in the country. Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity’s policy You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.